Financial Times
April 2, 2003
Doha offers a defence against protectionism
From Ms. Maria Livanos Cattaui
Sir, Guy de Jonquie res' gloomy view of prospects for the Doha round (Comment & Analysis, March 31) is understandable, given the missed deadline on agriculture and earlier setbacks. Yet it would be a grave mistake to write off the negotiations prematurely.
As he points out, the preceding Uruguay round almost foundered soon after it was launched in 1986; but it was put on its feet again and ended triumphantly in 1994 to become the most far-reaching trade liberalisation package ever.
On one point the article is wrong - the assertion that business interest in the Doha round is tepid. I am in frequent touch with the heads of leading corporations that are members of the International Chamber of Commerce throughout the world and can assure you that they continue to believe that a successful round is absolutely essential to global prosperity and are conveying this message to their governments.
They do not believe that regional or bilateral trading arrangements are a substitute for a multilateral trading system. They do not take the World Trade Organisation for granted, even if some governments do.
More than ever, the Doha round will be essential to hoisting the world economy out of the doldrums and avoiding the danger of resurgent protectionism.
It must be central to the multilateral fence-mending that governments will undertake, if they are wise, when the shooting stops in Iraq.
Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce, 75008 Paris, France
Copyright 2003 The Financial Times Limited
